Interesting Facts about Leslie Charteris and The Saint | Interesting Literature Interesting Facts about Leslie Charteris and The Saint Posted by interestingliterature Fun facts about the Saint and his creator, the author Leslie Charteris The Saint – aka Simon Templar – is a well-known character, both on television and in countless books. But who created him? The author behind the Saint, Leslie Charteris, is as interesting a figure as his most famous fictional creation. Charteris was half English and half Chinese, born in Singapore in 1907 to a Chinese surgeon father. Consequently, his first language was not English, but Mandarin. (He was born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin.) He was a highly precocious young man: his first book was accepted for publication while Charteris was in the first year of his degree at Cambridge. He promptly left the university, abandoning his studies in favour of trying his hand at a literary career. It would prove a hugely lucrative decision. ‘Charteris’ was a pseudonym – chosen (supposedly from a phone book) as a quintessentially English-sounding name.

Simon Templar, his most famous creation, made his debut in the 1928 novel, Meet the Tiger, written when Charteris was still in his early twenties. It’s never made clear why he’s called ‘the Saint’, though it could be from his initials – ‘Simon Templar’ giving us ‘ST’ = St. = ‘saint’. His calling-card – a stick-figure crowned with a halo – is almost as famous as the character himself. Like Robin Hood, Simon Templar is a criminal but – as his saintly nickname reveals – on the side of good in many ways. He goes after corrupt politicians and officials on numerous occasions. Roger Moore immortalised Simon Templar, ‘the Saint’, on television in the 1960s, but Moore wasn’t the first person to play the role of Templar. Indeed, he wasn’t even the second, or the third, or the fourth. Simon Templar first came to the screen – the big screen first of all – in 1938 in a film, The Saint in New York, starring Louis Hayward. Other films followed with George Sanders in the title role.

Between 1945 and 1951, Vincent Price – also known for his roles in many Hammer Horror films – played Templar on American radio, though others such as Edgar Barrier also played the Templar role. It was in 1962, eleven years after the radio show ended, that Roger Moore brought Templar to the small screen and an even bigger audience. By this time there had also been a Saint comic strip and a magazine devoted to the character. In the late 1970s, the Saint would find a new incarnation, when he was played by Ian Ogilvy in the British series Return of the Saint. Charteris, a highly bright and gifted individual, was one of the first members of Mensa, and invented his own sign language, Paleneo. He died in 1993, four years before the Saint returned to screens – the big screen again this time – in the 1997 film starring Val Kilmer. Image: Roger Moore in 1973 (via Allan warren), Wikimedia Commons.

Share this: The Saint — MurderMysteries.com Share The Saint The Saint was a mystery spy thriller TV series that aired in the UK between 1962 and 1969. It was based on the literary character Simon Templar created by author Leslie Charteris in the 1920s and featured in many novels over the years. He was played by Roger Moore. Simon Templar was basically a Robin Hood figure who stole from criminals, but kept the money. Chief Inspector Claude Teal, who considered Templar nothing more than a common criminal no matter who he stole from, was his arch foe. With almost 120 episodes, The Saint exceeded only by The Avengers as the most prolific show of its genre made in England. Roger Moore had earlier tried to buy the production rights to the Saint books himself and was delighted to be able to play the part. Moore eventually became co-owner of the show with Robert S. Baker when the show moved to color and the production credit became Bamore Productions. Most of the wardrobe Moore wore in the series was his own.

He was reportedly offered the role of 007 at least twice during the run of the series, but had to turn it down both times owing to his commitments with The Saint. In one early episode of the show, another character mistakes Templar for Bond. Although Moore had a few recurring costars — most notably Ivor Dean, who took over the role of Templar's nemesis/reluctant ally, Inspector Teal after the departure of Wensley Pithey — he was the only featured actor for most of the show, which was consistent with the late-series Charteris novels, in which the Saint typically worked alone. In early books Templar had compatriots and a regular girlfriend, but they're missing from the program. The Saint started as a conventional mystery series, but its plots morphed over the years into more secret agent- and fantasy-style tales. The show also transitioned from black-and-white to color production halfway through its run. Early episodes featured Moore breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience in character at the start of every episode. With the switch to color, this technique gave way to narration.

Pre-credits sequences always ended with someone referring to the Saint as “the famous Simon Templar”, after which an animated halo appeared above Templar's head. Many episodes were based on Charteris's stories, although as the series progressed, original-for-TV episodes made their appearance and gradually became more common. The novel “Vendetta for the Saint”, credited officially to Charteris but actually written by Harry Harrison, was one of the last Saint stories to be adapted. A notable difference between The Saint and The Avengers is that whereas the first three series of the latter were videotaped, with little location shooting, The Saint was shot entirely on film, allowing for higher production values, and more location filming. In 1978, The Saint was revived as “Return of the Saint”; it starred Ian Ogilvy as Templar. Two further attempts to bring back the Saint on TV followed; in 1987, a US TV pilot was made “The Saint in Manhattan” which starred Australian actor Andrew Clarke. In 1989, London Weekend Television in the UK made six film-length episodes that featured Simon Dutton.

Roger Moore never played the role again after 1969, though he can be heard on a car radio during the 1997 film The Saint, starring Val Kilmer as Templar. The Kilmer film had nothing in common either with the books or either TV series. The Saint (Literature) - TV Tropes Badass in a Nice Suit : Simon, in virtually every adventure. Banana Republic : The Wonderful War is the story of how The Saint (almost) singlehandedly liberates one of these. Batman Gambit : The Saint loves these with a holy love. A prime example is in The Man From St. Louis, where he manipulates a vicious wannabe-bigshot mook into disposing of a white slaver — and in such a way that Chief Inspector Teal immediately arrests said mook. Battle Butler : Orace attends Simon throughout most of the pre-World War II adventures; however, his combat abilities are mostly implied by references to his time in the service, and he never plays as prominent a role as, say, Alfred Pennyworth . Berserk Button : Do not hurt or threaten Pat; he will go into Unstoppable Rage even if he is badly wounded.

In fact, do not hurt any woman in his presence. Period. He will undertake your systematic destruction and there will be absolutely nothing you can do about it, and you can expect no mercy. Birds of a Feather : Pat and Simon Templar; Templar often comments that she's the only woman he's ever met who shares his lust for life and adventure. Blackmail Backfire : Type 2 in The Art Photographer, among others. Bookcase Passage : In The Affair of Hogsbotham, Simon's country house has a tiny room concealed behind a bookcase secret door. As one might expect from the Saint, though, the opening mechanism is far more complex than the usual pull-the-right-book trick. Calling Card : The familiar haloed stick figure was Simon's trademark, often sent before an adventure as a warning, during as an ominous reminder, and after as a signature to a completed work. Even after his identity is made public, Simon continues to use it; as Inspector Teal observes glumly, Scotland Yard knows it's his trademark, but the fact that everyone in England knows it too allows Simon to claim that some cheap crook was just copying it.

In one of the stories in The Saint in London, one of the Ungodly finally tries a Frame-Up using the Sign of the Saint. Simon is only surprised that it's taken someone so long. He further muses that perhaps every other crook who thought of it was smart enough to realize that it would only attract his attention, and that it's far better to take their chances with Scotland Yard than with The Saint. Card Sharp : The Man Who Was Clever establishes the Saint's skill at this; surrounded by a gang of experienced hoods and despite the fact that their own Sharp has stacked the deck, he still deals himself a winning hand. (Simon does, however, prefer to play honestly; although he's never shown to be a Professional Gambler , he usually wins anyway because he's so good at reading other people.) Casual Danger Dialog : If there is any story in the Saint series that does not feature Templar doing this, it's not a Saint book. Catch Phrase : "As the bishop said to the actress/as the actress said to the bishop," an Edwardian British predecessor to "that's what she said," was used by Simon in his very first adventure and for many years thereafter.

Cement Shoes : Narrowly averted in The High Fence. The Big Bad has gotten all he needs from Simon and has no reason to keep him alive. At that point, rather than act with the same efficiency he's shown throughout, he delegates the disposal to his Punch Clock Villain henchman. Said henchman doesn't take the time to make actual cement shoes; he just ties the Saint to an iron weight and drops him in the Thames. Of course the Saint always has a final trick up his sleeve... . The Charmer : The Saint. Women (almost always) find him irresistible. Further, he would never take advantage of a woman and is always courteous and (barring the occasional female villain) polite towards them. Comic-Book Time : As Charteris himself notes in The First Saint Omnibus, Templar was aging at a practically normal rate in the first decade or so... but his aging process slowed to a crawl as The Saint dealt with Those Wacky Nazis , and from the time Charteris retired from primary authorship in 1963 through the end of the series 20 years later, his aging was confined to a much more world-weary attitude.

Condescending Compassion : Templar loves pretending this attitude around and in regards to the police. Con Man : A high percentage of the Saint's targets, particularly in the short stories, are con artists who prey on the innocent, the unwary, and the desperate; it is their misfortune to attract the attention of the master of the craft, Simon himself. Cool Car : Leslie Charteris didn't believe that any car in the real world was cool enough for Simon to drive, so he made up one called a Hirondel. In one later story (Vendetta for the Saint), an Italian mechanic who has devoted himself to preserving a Bugatti Type 41 is impressed that Simon drove a Hirondel. It's that cool. Corrupt Corporate Executive : Just in the pages of The First Saint Omnibus, the Saint encounters Messrs. Hugo Campard (stock manipulator turned oil tycoon), W. Titus Oates (shady financier and philatelist), Grant Lasser (importer of wine, spirits and other things), and Sir Melvin Flager (trucking magnate and tyrannical boss).

Distaste for scum who pretend respectability is something Simon seems to more than share with the general public — the difference being, the Saint can do something about it. Costume Porn : Particularly in the early adventures, Charteris goes into loving detail about the Saint's bespoke wardrobe. Could Say It, But... : During one of the rare and wonderful times Chief Inspector Teal and The Saint are not only on the same side, but actually working together, Claud Eustace indulges in a great deal of this to help Simon bring down The Appalling Politician. It works, but not quite as Claud Eustace expects. Damsel out of Distress : A number of early novels and stories feature Templar's girlfriend, Patricia Holm, who becomes an active accomplice in a number of his exploits. She's also noted to be a very good shot and is the person he trusts to drive the getaway car when the chase is particularly hot. Villains have been known to be more afraid of the icy steel in her voice and eyes than they are of Templar at first meeting (of course, it probably helps that she's usually the one pointing a gun in those instances).

Decoy Damsel : Pat occasionally (for example, in The Gold Standard) does a heroic version of this, allowing herself to get captured to further some plan of Simon's. Diabolical Mastermind : Rayt Marius, war profiteer and utter blackguard, earns his status as Simon's arch-foe, even striking out at Simon one last time from beyond the grave in The Simon Templar Foundation. I Call It "Vera" : The Saint's twin throwing knives, Anna and Belle. Both Simon and Hoppy refer to Hoppy's trusty equalizer as "Betsy." I Owe You My Life : Downplayed with Peter Quentin; it's unlikely that the stretch in His Majesty's Gaol from which The Saint saves him would've been fatal, but as Simon himself notes, it certainly isn't healthy; and, without ever mentioning it again, Peter goes on to become a valuable member of Simon's team. Icy Blue Eyes : Pat's are noted to be this, generally contrasting Simon's innocent baby blues. Also notable character-wise because it symbolizes her tendency to come across as more even keel and less manic than Templar..

She can, however, do the Innocent Blue Eyes too, just to freak Teal out. Simon has these when he's angry. Impersonating an Officer : Used more than once; for example, Simon in Knight Templar, and Peter Quentin in The Affair of Hogsbotham. Ironic Nickname : Lots, but Templar's nickname of "Angel Face" for the very ugly Rayt Marius is the foremost example of this trope. I Shall Taunt You : Templar doesn't have an off button when he's around the police or villains. All of his insults are very snarky and both for his own (and his comrades) amusement and to keep villains and policemen off their balance. In one adventure (The Policeman With Wings), he defeats a villain using only his mocking wit. Innocent Blue Eyes : The Saint has these and is very, very aware of it. He loves giving beatifically innocent looks at his most infuriating. Internal Deconstruction : The late short storyThe Spanish Co deconstructs Simon's usual attitudes and behaviour.

He comes close to seducing and stealing from an unattractive, middle-aged, nouveau riche woman, and only realises at the last minute that he is about to do something truly evil to another person just because she isn't sexy and cool. Just Like Robin Hood : In the very earliest stories, The Saint steals from criminals and gives all but 10% of it to charities (unless it can be determined where the ill-gotten gains were stolen or extorted from in the first place, in which case The Saint gives it all back to its rightful owners). As the series goes on, the percentage varies, but The Saint never wavers in his philosophy — in The Man From St. Louis, Simon even sends some of his boodle to a policeman who'd been shot by the eponymous bad guy. Several tales refer to the newspaper stories that explicitly dub him "the Robin Hood of Modern Crime." Kansas City Shuffle : Another thing The Saint loves with a holy love. The Prince of Cherkessia, for example, is warned of the exact day on which the Saint will — for a variety of good reasons — steal the crown that has just been made for him by London's finest jewelers.

Chief Inspector Teal guards the Prince and his crown practically as well as England's own Crown Jewels, and yet the crown is still stolen — because Claud Eustace could never imagine that the "Prince" is actually The Saint in disguise, and has been all along. Knife Nut : Templar prefers knives to guns, and is a masterful fighter with them. Knight In Shining Armour : In The Last Hero, one of the earlier Saint novels (1931), Simon Templar takes backstage to his gallant and tragic associate Norman Kent, who falls in love hopelessly with Templar's girlfriend Patricia Holm (who hardly notices him) and at the end of the book sacrifices his life to let Templar and his other comrades-in-arms escape the current villain and fight again another day. A book called Knights Errant of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries by Caroline Whitehead and George Mc Leod says it all: "Norman Kent is an archetypal knight-errant. Though formally a man of 20th Century England, he lives (and dies) by the Code of Chivalry.

He loves totally his Lady, Patricia Holm - who, like Don Quixote's Dulcinea, is not aware of that love. He is totally loyal to his Liege Lord, Simon Templar. Like Sir Gawain in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", Norman Kent takes on the threats to his Lord. Not only physicial threats to life and limb, but also the sometimes inavoidable need to take dishourable acts which would have reflected badly on the reputation of King Arthur/Simon Templar is taken on, wholly and without reservation, by Sir Gawain/Norman Kent." Leaning on the Fourth Wall : Sometimes Templar talks about a situation or his life being rather like an adventure novel, and that if it stays true to form something will or won't happen. Literary Agent Hypothesis : At the close of Knight Templar, Simon is writing down his latest adventure "for the benefit of an author bloke I know, who has sworn to make a blood-and-thunder classic of us one day." Charters plays with the notion again in his notes for The First Saint Omnibus.

Long-Running Book Series : 50 books published between 1928 and 1983, all overseen by Leslie Charteris. The Mafia : In Vendetta for the Saint, Simon takes on the actual Sicilian Mafia . Master Actor : The Saint. He often appears as a wealthy, amiable and helium-headed aristocrat (see below) but, when circumstances demand it, can appear to be a down-at-heel lorry driver, a haughty but corrupt barrister, or even a Central American peasant with little more than a change of clothes. Mercy Lead : The Saint has come to the apartment of Tex Goldman, The Man From St. Louis, for a rare Vigilante Execution ; before he can make his move, though, he overhears part of a conversation between Tex and what Simon thinks is just the gangster's moll. When Simon does move, he gets the drop on both and tells Tex that he's there to kill both of them. Tex faces the Saint down, saying that whatever Simon thinks, he's wrong, but that Tex can take it for both of them— because they were just married that day.

Simon is so touched, he not only lets the girl go (whom he never really intended to kill anyway), he also lets Tex flee with her, and even gives them back some of the loot that he, Simon, has just lifted from Tex's safe. Moral Guardians : Few things that are not actual felonies raise Simon's ire more than these. One, Mr. Ebenezer Hogsbotham, sets off an adventure that Charteris himself, in The First Saint Omnibus, called "a story that in its own way would summarize them all". By the end of The Affair of Hogsbotham, though Mr. H. never appears in person, the Saint has given him a most satisfactory comeuppance — while also solving a bank robbery, arranging for the sudden decease of said robbers, and enriching himself and his associates to the tune of fifteen thousand pounds. Motor Mouth : The Saint will only stop talking when his Gentleman Thief activities absolutely demand it.

When he's excited or has a Eureka Moment his mouth tries a desperate job of trying to keep up with his brain, resulting in fragments of the subject in particular, bits of plans on what he's going to do, and jokes all jumbled together coming out of his mouth at a mile a minute (think The Doctor at his most insensibly manic). Even the most brilliant of his associates, notably Pat, find it a strain to keep up with him at these moments. Mr. Fanservice : Templar, even when he's wearing all his clothes. Ms. Fanservice : Pat or whatever woman happens to be in the story is usually described in 'loving' detail. Mysterious Past : In one of the later adventures, The Saint In Pursuit, an American intelligence officer awkwardly tries to draw Simon out by mentioning that he hasn't been completely briefed about Templar's background. Simon's answer: "Nobody has." Never Gets Drunk : Hoppy Uniatz's ability to imbibe is a source of astonishment to all who know him, including and especially the Saint. In view of Hoppy's unusual personality, he is probably a type 2.

On the other hand, Simon hypothesizes he simply does not drink enough, which given the descriptions of how much and what he drinks would make him Type 3. The Nicknamer : Templar hands out these like he's handing out candy to children. Only Sane Man : Peter Quentin is introduced as a victim of a Con Man whom Simon saves from bankruptcy and a stretch in His Majesty's prisons. He becomes one of Simon's most trusted assistants, but his incredulous bemusement with the Saint's devil-may-care mad genius never changes. Nothing Up My Sleeve : Simon's favorite hiding place for Anna , though he also uses a calf sheath on occasion. The Pardon : In Knight Templar, the one time the bobbies had him dead to rights, all Detective-Inspector Carn can say to him is, "I think the King is waiting to speak to you." Simon had just prevented the bombing of a train carrying His Majesty and other members of the royal family. Percussive Pickpocket : Simon uses this to save a young man from a prison stretch in The Man Who Was Clever. Psycho Sidekick : Hoppy Uniatz to the nth degree.

Simon is no shrinking violet himself, yet several times the Saint gets the Ungodly to talk simply by threatening to leave them alone with good old Hoppy. It doesn't help that Hoppy will do anything the Saint asks, and interprets everything through his unorthodox upbringing and previous profession . In The Case of the Frightened Innkeeper, Templar forgets this. Meaning for Hoppy to escort some of the Ungodly from the Saint's presence, Simon carelessly says "Get rid of them;" Hoppy does . Real Men Cook : He usually prefers to eat out, but is quite capable of making a delicious meal entirely on his own. Rebellious Spirit : The Saint. Teal lampshades this now and again by sarcastically suggesting to superiors that they should make it a law that you can't live a life without committing a crime at intervals just so The Saint would be contrary and they'd get a little peace from him. Rich Idiot with No Day Job : Played with: The Saint's skill at pretending to be an Upper-Class Twit is one of his most effective tactics against the Ungodly.

However, it's strongly implied that Simon was not born into wealth and privilege, and compared to some of the examples of this trope, he's practically impoverished. Safe Cracking : Simon's larcenous expertise includes this too; The Man From St. Louis has him open and empty a gangster's safe "offscreen" — i.e. so easily that Charteris doesn't bother to write the scene. Slumming It : In The Wonderful War, Simon pretends to be a Banana Republic peon — and even lets himself be arrested! — to bring about his master plan. Sharp-Dressed Man : Prefers to dress like this whenever possible, however it is noted (several times over) that he simply looks phenomenal in whatever he happens to be wearing by virtue of good looks and sheer personality. The Spymaster : Another legacy of World War II: during the war, Simon worked for an American intelligence officer known only as "Hamilton".

Sword Cane : In the early stories, particularly in The Man Who Was Clever, Simon is shown to be a master with one; since in those days a cane was still appropriate for upper-class gentlemen, he was also "seldom without it." Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist : Chief Inspector Claude Eustace Teal; one of (perhaps) two policemen whom the Saint considers a truly Worthy Opponent , his ongoing entanglement with the Saint is a constant bright spot in the pre-WWII books. Simon loves very few things more than poking Teal both verbally and physically, in Teal's well-padded midsection. But when the chips are down, Simon speaks of him with both affection and respect. The Saint alternates helping Teal solve the good Inspector's toughest cases (other than those that Simon committed himself, that is), and leaving Teal grasping at thin air when he attempts to nail Simon for the Saint's crimes.

Further, Teal is shown to be a more-than-competent detective (for example, in The Unusual Ending) in every respect; it's simply that, as The Lawless Lady put it, "Simon Templar was not common clay; and Teal, who was of the good red earth earthy, recognized this without resentment." Finally, he and Simon have each saved the other's life at least once, in The Story of a Dead Man and The High Fence respectively. Terms of Endangerment : Templar tends to use pet names or terms of endearment when talking to villains; the sweeter, the more inappropriate, and the more frequent the endearments get, the closer the villains are to doom. Themed Aliases : Simon's aliases often use the initials "S.T." This Bear Was Framed : In The Convenient Monster, a murderer kills his victim with a Polynesian club studded with shark teeth and attempts to place the blame on the Loch Ness Monster! This Is My Name on Foreign : In Salvage For The Saint, Charles Tatenor's real name is revealed to be Schwarzkopf.

As literally translating his surname into English would have sounded ridiculous ('blackhead'), he went for something that sounded like blackhead in French (tête noire). Trademark Favorite Food : Teal is extremely fond of gum, especially Wrigley's. Simon thoughtfully provides a fresh pack when Teal lets him know in advance that he's on his way to the Saint's current domicile for another friendly chat. Hoppy Uniatz and Scotch whiskey. The Trickster : The Saint. Oh hallowed heavens, The Saint! Perhaps the most extreme example comes in The Million Pound Day, when Simon purchases a trick matchbox from a toy & novelty shop, and uses it to return to the main villain a gift said villain intended for Simon. Let's just say The Joker would've been proud.... Underhanded Hero : Simon Templar is a Con Man who has repeatedly taken out criminals by kidnapping them, tricking them into killing each other and even performing Vigilante Executions (see below). Vigilante Execution : Templar rarely resorts to this; he generally prefers to let the Ungodly engineer their own dooms.

However, rarely is not never, as certain of the Ungodly in The Unlicensed Victuallers and The Gold Standard, amongst others, learn to their great sorrow. Warrior Poet : Templar writes poetry (in comic and satirical vein to entertain and amuse his compatriots and to annoy his enemies, then sometimes more serious stuff about justice and chivalry). Is also prone to, amidst jokes, philosophize on battle, honor, chivalry, love, how modern man has lost his thirst for adventure, and any numbers of those combined. What the Hell, Hero? : The only time Patricia calls Simon out on anything in real anger occurs in The Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal. The good Chief Inspector has almost nailed the Saint, when Simon informs him that without Teal's knowledge, Simon has been depositing money into Teal's account, making it appear that the detective is a Dirty Cop — which the world, and Teal's superiors at Scotland Yard in particular, will all too readily accept as the real reason Teal's never caught the Saint. Teal proceeds with the case anyway, knowing it will lead to his own ruin.

This in turn causes Simon one of his extremely few attacks of conscience . The Saint reverses himself and not only does not proceed with the plot, he makes amends by giving Teal the Great Big Book of Everything of London crime that Simon has taken years to compile. Of course, Simon arranges for he, Patricia, and the boodle to escape anyway. The World Is Not Ready : In The Gold Standard, Simon encounters the inventor of a modern, DieselPunk-ish Philosopher's Stone process, and the criminal who is murderously determined to make the process work for him. By the end of the story, everyone who knew the secret of the process is dead, leaving no records behind, and The Saint believes that's a good thing. Worthy Opponent : Prince Rudolf and The Saint view each other as one; as noted above, so do Templar & Teal. :: Indexes :: Leslie Charteris - Book Series In Order Hardcover Paperback Kindle Leslie Charteris was one of the famous authors of Britain who used to write novels based on the Culinary, mystery and Thriller genres. He was born as Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin on May 12, 1907 in Singapore.

Leslie is famous as an author of adventure fiction and as a screenwriter. The most popular works of Leslie as an author are the novels chronicling around the adventures of the famous fictional character named Simon Templar or The Saint. Leslie was of the British-Chinese descent as his father was a Chinese citizen named Dr. S. C. Yin, while his mother, Lydia Florence Bowyer was from England. It was believed that his father was able to trace back his lineage to the emperors of the Shang Dynasty. Leslie became interested in writing novels from a very young age. He was so passionate about writing during his school days that he had created his own magazine with short stories, poems, articles, serials, comic strips and editorials. As a child, Leslie completed his school education from the Rossall School situated in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The first book written by him was accepted during the first year of his college studies in the King’s College at the Cambridge University. After that, he left his college studies for a full time career and never looked back. Leslie was more motivated with a desire to become financially strong in order to be unconventional in his approach and do whatever he liked to do.

Hence, he used to work at various jobs along with writing English thriller novels. The long list of jobs that he did include shipping on a freighter, working as a barman, diving for the search of pearls, working in a tin mine, on a rubber plantation as well as working as a bus driver and as a goldsmith. In the year 1962, Leslie changed his last name legally as Charteris after being inspired by Colonel Francis Charteris. However, in an interview given to the BBC Radio 4, his daughter had said that he had selected the last name from a telephone directory. Leslie moved to the United States in the year 1932 and continued publishing his short stories. Later, he joined the Paramount Pictures as a writer and worked on the film Midnight Club directed by George Raft. Even after working for a few years in the United States, he was not able to acquire a permanent residence as the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented him from doing so. Therefore, he was forced to renew his visitor’s visa continuously after six months. However, he was later granted the permanent residency by the Congress. Leslie went on to write over 100 books revolving around The Saint.

After that, he stopped writing further novels in the series, but other authors continued to contribute in the series. The series became one of the longest running series from a single author as author Leslie Charteris spent 55 years working on the series. He equalled Agatha Christie in this feat. Apart from writing fiction novels, Leslie also wrote a cuisine column for one of the American magazines. He is also said to have invented a pictorial and wordless sign language called Paleneo, and went on to write a book on it. His successful writing career allowed him to become an early member of Mensa. Leslie married the Hollywood actress Audrey Long in the year 1952, along with whom he returned to England and lived in Surrey. Leslie died on April 15, 1993 in Windsor, Berkshire at the age of 85 and is survived by his wife and a daughter named Patricia. One of the initial novels written by author Leslie Charteris in the Simon Templar series was titled ‘The Avenging Saint’. This novel was published by the Ace Books publishing house in the year 1930. The plot of this novel is set in the United Kingdom and features Simon Templar as The Saint.

In the opening plot of the novel, Simon gets involved in a thrilling adventure at the start of his young career. An American munitions heiress named, Sonia Delmar is shown as taking a bit of chocolate, which is drugged. Sonia is depicted in the novel as a very beautiful lady and adding drug in her chocolate was meant to kidnap her. The kidnappers begin to blackmail in order to cause an international turmoil, which was already prevalent in the vulnerable Europe during the 1930s. The Saint has the support of powerful and strong men like Roger Conway and Sir Issac Lessing. With the help of these men, Simon tries to save Sonia Delmar from the hands of the kidnappers and stop the international turmoil. However, his adversaries also seem to be equally powerful. Among the enemies are Rayt Marius, who is known to sacrifice the lives of millions of people fro his own benefit; Prince Rudolph, who thinks of himself as the new Napoleon; and an agent of the Kremlin named Vassilov. The Saint is required to conquer these men in order to be able to save Sonia Delmar and succeed in his motive. One of the other initial novels of the Simon Templar series was titled ‘Alias the Saint’.

It was published by the Carroll & Graf publishing house in the year 1931. The plot of this novel too continues to deal with the life of Simon Templar as The Saint. In the opening sequence of the plot of this novel, Simon Templar disguises himself as a professor named Smith-Smyth-Smythe from Timbuctoo and visits the English countryside as he had heard that the guests get cheerful hospitality on their welcome in the countryside. However, as soon as he registers himself for staying at the Beacon Inn hotel, he gets drugged and is treated very miserably. The kidnappers were aware of the fact that professor Smith-Smyth-Smythe was an alias of Simon Templar, The Saint and therefore, he was dealt with such disdain. Now, he is required to figure a way to escape quickly otherwise his adversaries might cause more damage to him, by treating him even more disgracefully. The novel was received with great appreciations by the readers as well as the critics. Although, unlike the previous novels, this novel showed the struggle of Simon Templar, it did not bring down the enthusiasm of the readers. This motivated author Leslie to write a number of other novels in the series.

The success of this novel also helped him to establish himself as a noteworthy novelist. The Saint Movie Reboot Being Developed by Paramount The Saint Movie Reboot Being Developed by Paramount Share Comment The character of Simon Templar from The Saint franchise hasn’t been seen on the big screen since the 1997 movie adaptation starring Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue – a film that was a modest commercial success, but a critical dud. However, there was a time when the property (based on a series of books created by author Leslie Charteris) was almost as popular as James Bond – with a popular 1960s TV series version that served as a starmaking turn for (appropriately enough) eventual 007 actor Roger Moore. Originating in Charteris’ 1928 novel “Meet The Tiger”, Simon Templar is a master criminal of unknown origin who operates as a globe-trotting Robin Hood – one who uses his criminal and con-artist skills to thwart the plans of unscrupulous buisnessmen, warmongers and other villains whose harmful actions are outside the grasp of traditional law enforcement (or the people they have hurt).

He’s known as “The Saint” thanks to a calling card of a stick figure sporting a halo that he leaves at the scene of his activities – and, of course, for adhering to a strict moral code and often judging is targets and/or their actions as “ungodly.” Variety is reporting that Paramount Pictures and legendary producer Robert Evans have now secured the rights to kickstart a new Saint film series based on the Simon Templar character. The new film (which has not yet attached a director, star or screenwriter) has come together as a joint project for Lorenzo di Bonaventura ( Transformers ), Brad Krevoy ( Dumb and Dumber To ) and Evans – who produced the Val Kilmer version and has held a portion of the book rights since. Bonaventura will serve as acting producer on the project through his self-named studio, which is affiliated with Paramount. Evans, who previously ran Paramount itself before seguing into producing, is credited as a driving force behind classics like The Godfather, Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown in the 1970s.

In addition to Roger Moore’s best known turn as the title character, a series of Saint feature films was previously produced in the 1940s starring George Sanders. The Kilmer film, which also gave Templar an origin story for the first time, featured Elizabeth Shue as part of a convoluted conspiracy plot involving a formula for cold fusion. Its reviews were negative enough that Kilmer himself was nominated for a Golden Raspberry for Worst Actor (losing out to Kevin Costner for The Postman) and The Saint franchise was essentially put on ice thereafter. There’s been no indication yet of what the plot or direction of the new Saint film will be, or whether it will draw from Charteris’ books or create an original story featuring Simon Templar. There are over fifty installments in the original Saint book series written by Charteris from 1928 to 1963, with other writers having taken over until the end of the run in 1983 (two new books were published in ’97 to coincide with the movie). Two attempts were made in the last decade to launch new TV series based on the character, with neither progressing beyond the pilot phase.

Question: Which author created the character Simon Templar?
Answer: Leslie Charteris